Mystery revealed: The young woman accompanying Kim Jong-un is his wife Sol-Ju Ri

July 26, Pyongyang: The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was married and his wife is called Sol-Ju Ri, media reported on Wednesday North Korean officials, ending weeks of speculation of an elegant young woman for several times his side.

Wednesday, “Marshal Kim Jong-Un attended the opening ceremony of the popular amusement park Nungra with his wife, Comrade Ri Ju-Sol,” said state television in North Korea.

The crowd in the park in Pyongyang has booked a home “enthusiastic” to the presidential couple, shouting “hurray,” said the official news agency KCNA.

All smiles, according to the agency, Kim and his wife toured the park and saw a dolphin show “the sound of joyous music,” along with top party officials, the State of army and diplomacy.

No media said when the couple married.

The same woman had been seen in public with him at several events in recent weeks, according to the South Korean Ministry of Unification.

The young woman, aged twenty years, had appeared for the first time next to Kim Jong-A on July 6 during a concert, then on July 8 during a visit to the mausoleum of his grandfather Kim Il-Sung.

Always elegantly dressed, short hair, she had also appeared in photos released July 15 by state television, standing behind the North Korean leader during a visit to a kindergarten.

The North Korean regime has been very stingy date information on the privacy of its leader. Kim Jong-Un, whose exact age is unknown but probably approaching their thirties, is head of state since the death of his father Kim Jong-Il last December.

Unlike his late father, who spoke only once in public during a major event in 17 years in power, Kim Jong-A is more often and adopted a more relaxed style. He was seen taking soldiers in his arms, posing for photos with troops or arm in arm with women.

“It’s quite unusual for North Korea to present its leader with his wife in public,” noted Yang Moo-jin, professor in the Department of North Korean studies at the University of Seoul.

“This illustrates the regime’s campaign to create a new image of its leader” and his efforts to show that his leadership is stable, he said.

South Korean analysts note that Kim Jong-A appears to have the power firmly in hand, although he had little time to prepare for his duties as head of state.

On July 16, Pyongyang announced the departure of Ri Yong Ho, stripped of his positions, including army chief, “for health reasons,” an excuse according to experts.

This unusual public announcement, from one of the most secret and most reclusive of the planet, confirms, analysts said that Kim Jong-A strengthens its control over the army with 1.2 million men.

On 18 July he was appointed “Marshal,” a title that only his grandfather Kim Il-Sung, founder of North Korea which he operated until his death in 1994, and his father Kim Jong-he, leader from 1994 to 2011, had brought before him.

In a study published Wednesday in Seoul, the International Crisis Group (ICG) argues that we should not expect reforms under Kim Jong-A or a lessening of tensions due to the Korean nuclear weapons Northern and development of its missile program.

Posted by Taani
on Thursday, July 26th, 2012. Filed under World.
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